No more double dipping on Auckland boards

The days of local politicians double-dipping on the Super City have ended after a bill by National list MP Alfred Ngaro passed into law last night.

Under the new law, candidates standing for Local Boards will no longer be able to serve on more than one Local Board.

At least three Local Board members — Lisa Whyte (Upper Harbour/Hibiscus and Bays), Warren Flaunty (Rodney/Henderson-Massey) and Grant Gillon (Kaipatiki/Devonport-Takapuna) — sit on two boards. Mr Flaunty sat on three boards in the first term of the Super City.

Board members earn between about $22,000 and $41,000 a year. Board chairs earn between about $50,000 and $91,000.

Ms Whyte, who chairs the Upper Harbour Local Board, is paid $110,900 for her two roles — more than the $101,900 salary of a councillor.

Mr Flaunty is paid $78,900 and Mr Gillon $79,000 for their two roles respectively.

The Local Government (Auckland Council) Amendment Bill (No 3), Mr Ngaro said, would prevent double-dipping and protect against conflicts of interest.

Excellent. It was a nonsense to have these professional politicians double dipping and claiming to represent multiple areas.

Sarkozygroupie

mikenmild

Surely Knott

Completely agree. It’s not just multiple boards. Flaunty is also Elected Waitakere Licensing Trust liquor funding and Director of TTCF (pokies funding distribution). The council are increasingly delivering infrastructure projects in partnership with charitable trusts enabling access to pokies and liquor funding. And I’m sure that distributing funds to community groups is very favourable on your political career. I’d love to see the Pokies and liquor funding trustees completely seperate from the elected council politicians .

mm The problem is the voters just vote for names they have seen in the local newspapers too lazy to check out the creds of any new names so on the Shore we have the same old same old tired hopeless waste of oxygens standing and getting relected stuffing up spending like the drunken sailors they are.
All are bereft of any good governance skills. The only skill any of them have is collecting their fat pay cheques. But they will get relected come the elections.
No one with any skills can be bothered to stand and put up with the crapola that is the Town Clerk and his senior minons who bombard and bamboozle the Mayor and Councillor never mind the boards of the oxymoron CCO’s who either keep their agendas secret ( commercial sensitivity don’t you know) or flood the Mayor and Councillors with deliberate jargon filled bullshit that confuses the poor dears so they just sign off on it anyway because they don’t know the questions that should be asked and answered.